A cable or satellite receiver is generally known as a set top box. The common set top box (STB) is an information device that generally connects to a display device and an external source of signal (i.e. cable, broadband) and includes a tuner and circuitry to convert the signal into media content which displayable on the display device.
The digital video recorder (DVR), also referred to as a personal video recorder (PVR), was developed to record video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device. Initially, the DVR was a separate unit with a separate power source. These DVRs are often connected to the set top box and display device through cables. However, the distinction between the set top box and storage devices such as the digital video recorder (DVR) has been blurred by the increasing deployment of set top boxes with hard discs, network or USB interfaces built-in. The STB has become a multimedia interactive tool. The STB converts and delivers media to the television, provides connectivity to the internet, and records and manipulates content delivered.
While the need has developed for a more compact STB, the amount of needed storage space and the number of ports/components has increased. As a result, a low profile set top box that is capable of media, gateway, and storage function is needed.